A Carlsberg-backed brewery in Sweden is launching a beer made from purified sewage water

Chris Thurgeson, head brewer at the Nya Carnegie brewery in Stockholm.

Pu:rest

A Stockholm-based brewery is launching a beer made from recycled sewage water.

The beer has been jointly developed by Carlsberg Sweden, research institute IVL and the Nya Carnegie brewery.

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Called Pu:rest, the beer serves as a statement for sustainability, according to its makers, and will be available in limited outlets in Sweden.

It's already been called ‘crap beer’, or bajsöl, in Sweden.

Stockholm-based craft brewery Nya Carnegie has developed ‘Sweden’s first’ beer made from sewage water, which has been purified at the Hammarby water treatment plant nearby. The result is called Pu:rest.

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The idea for Pu:rest came from Swedish researchers

The beer came about as a co-operation between the New Carnegie Brewery, Carlsberg Sweden and IVL, the Swedish Environmental Research Authority.

IVL, an independent research body, reached out to Nya Carnegie brewery - which is jointly owned by Carlsberg and Brooklyn Brewery - to use IVL's water technology to brew beer using sewage water.

“It was a no-brainer to brew PU:REST as an ecological and crystal clear pilsner, since it’s a pure and ‘naked’ style of beer,” said Chris Thurgeson.

Pu:rest

The beer enthusiasts didn’t hesitate.

“As an environmentally conscious player in the food industry, we share the vision that producers and consumers must dare to think different to take care of earth’s resources,” said Chris Thurgeson, head brewer at Nya Carnegie brewery, in a joint press release.

"Ultimately, this comes down to beating the drum for sustainable water treatment, and for the value of fresh water," says Staffan Filipsson of IVL.

The initiative seems to fit well into Carlsberg’s new environmental program, ‘Together Towards Zero’. Part of the initiative is to cut the company’s water use in half by 2030.